COP30 is the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference held in Belém, Brazil, where nearly every nation on Earth gathered to negotiate how the world responds to the climate crisis, from strengthening climate action plans and securing finance for vulnerable communities to assessing progress since the Paris Agreement and pushing for solutions that matter for…
U.N. Chief Reaffirms Support for War Crimes Court Office; Urges Civil Society to Unite as Internal Rift Goes Public
Summary: By Anthony Stephens, senior justice correspondent with New Narratives Christine N. Umutoni, the United Nations resident coordinator in Liberia, reaffirmed the U.N.’s support for the Office of the War and Economic Crimes Court of Liberia at an event in Monrovia marking International Human Rights Day, as a dispute between the Office and a bloc of…
War Crimes Court Office Gets Promised Government Funding as Director And Activists Engage in Public War of Words
Summary: By Anthony Stephens, senior justice correspondent with New Narratives The Office of the War and Economic Crimes Court of Liberia, the body tasked with establishing a war and economic crimes court and a National Anti-Corruption Court, has dismissed a newly submitted civil society bill to establish a war and economics crimes court as “mischief”…
“A Quiet Earthquake”: In Major Blow, Sweden Plans Exit as Largest Remaining Bilateral Donor
By Anthony Stephens, senior correspondent with New Narratives Summary: Sweden, long Liberia’s most reliable and generous development partner, announced on Friday that it will end bilateral aid to Liberia and close its embassy in Monrovia by August bringing an abrupt end to decades of deep cooperation. In a statement on Facebook, the embassy described the decision it…
Civil Society Groups Submit New War Crimes Bill As Advocates Scramble To Kill Earlier Version That Would Exclude War Crimes
Summary: By Anthony Stephens, senior justice correspondent with New Narratives In a surprise move, a coalition of advocates led by the Independent National Commission on Human Rights on Tuesday submitted a new war crimes court bill to the Legislature. It came as campaigners intensified efforts to block an earlier version that would exclude so-called “international” crimes including war crimes and crimes against humanity from…
Accra’s Toxic Air Hits Poorer Families Hardest, Widening Health Gap
Accra’s toxic air pollution is hitting poorer families the hardest, widening health gaps and deepening environmental injustice across the city. Jennifer Ambolley reports in this social media Video. To read more about this story click this link: https://thechronicle.com.gh/ghana-accras-toxic-air-hits-poorer-families-hardest-widening-health-gap/ This story was a collaboration with New Narratives, with funding from the Clean Air Fund. The funder…
Accra’s Toxic Air Hits Poorer Families Hardest, Widening Health Gap
By JENNIFER AMBOLLEY Agbogbloshie, Accra – Every morning, long before the sun burns through Accra’s haze, Doris Tey opens her stall here among a street of traders. She sells plastic basins and buckets, stacking them high in neat, colourful towers that brighten the grey air around her. By noon, the market is alive with the…
Civil Society Urges Government to Deliver on Climate Justice Amid Ongoing Gaps
By Aria Deemie, climate change reporter with New Narratives Summary: Liberia’s civil society and community leaders on Tuesday urged the government to accelerate action on climate justice, warning that vulnerable communities remain exposed to worsening climate impacts despite years of policy commitments. The call came at the close of the National People’s Climate Justice Summit, a two-day meeting…
“The Big Big Talk, We Can’t Understand It” Rural Women Press for Climate Justice at Monrovia Summit As Government Warns Cuts to International Aid May Limit Relief
By Aria Deemie, climate and environment reporter with New Narratives Summary • Rural women say Liberia’s climate policies are failing to reach the communities most affected, warning that technical language, planning meetings, and funding commitments have not translated into real support on farms and in villages. • As heat intensifies and farming becomes less reliable,…
Explainer: What Is Climate Change?
By Aria Deemie, climate change reporter with New Narratives Climate change is no distant threat lurking beyond our shores—it is here, reshaping the lives and livelihoods of ordinary people across Liberia and West Africa with every rising tide and failing harvest. Rainy seasons arrive late, flooding becomes more frequent, sea levels continue to rise, and homes…
New Climate Finance Commitments Offer Hope, Uncertainty for Liberians
By Aria Deemie climate change reporter with New Narratives Summary: The 30th annual summit of world nations committed to slowing climate change, known as the Conference of the Parties, concluded last week with countries pledging a range of actions to slow global warming and help vulnerable countries adapt. Leaders at the summit, held in Belém,…
Experts Warn Deaths From Extreme Heat Are Growing as New Report Finds Last Year Was Hottest on Record
By Aria Deemie, climate change reporter with New Narratives Summary: · Monrovia experienced its hottest dry season on record in 2024. Climate models predict the city could face up to 118 additional hot days annually by mid-century. · Experts warn prolonged exposure to extreme heat increases the risk of heat exhaustion, dehydration, and pregnancy complications,…
Experts Warn Deaths From Extreme Heat Are Growing as New Report Finds Last Year Was Hottest on Record
Experts warn that extreme heat is not just uncomfortable but deadly, with the world’s hottest recorded year driving up heat-related deaths as people in Liberia and beyond face soaring temperatures, increased exhaustion, dehydration, and serious health risks that hit the most vulnerable hardest and underscore a growing climate crisis with real human costs. Aria Deemie…
Doctors Warn Rampant Abuse of Anti-Microbial Drugs Is Creating Superbugs That Are Killing Thousands and Leaving Sick People Defenseless
Doctors in Liberia are sounding the alarm that rampant misuse of antimicrobial drugs is fueling the rise of drug-resistant “superbugs” that are killing thousands and leaving sick people defenseless against common infections, as families give antibiotics without medical guidance and the threat of antimicrobial resistance grows into a major public health crisis. Gloria Wleh reports…
They Survived Addiction. Now Comes the Hardest Part: Going Home
After surviving addiction and completing treatment at Liberia’s only government-approved rehab center, many graduates say the hardest challenge isn’t detox but going home to communities where stigma, isolation, unemployment and shattered family ties make staying clean a daily battle, highlighting that recovery truly begins long after rehab ends. Nemenlah Cyrus Harmon reports in this social…
They Survived Addiction. Now Comes the Hardest Part: Going Home
After years of struggling with addiction, Liberians who have completed treatment at the country’s only government approved rehabilitation center say the hardest challenge begins when they return home, where stigma, weak family support, and limited job opportunities make staying sober a daily struggle and show that recovery does not end with treatment but continues in…
In Liberia, a Rape Justice System That Works Only for Those Who Can Pay
By Tetee Gebro, senior reporter with New Narratives Summary: As Liberia marks the global campaign known as 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, rape survivors say they are being turned away from courts and told to “bring your money first” before their cases can proceed. Experts say the justice system extorts victims instead of…
Applications Open: Reporting Fellows, Liberia 2026
Call for Applications for our 2026 Reporting Fellowships in Liberia. Deadline for applications: January 10, 2026. Journalists with at least three years experience are invited to apply to join New Narratives as reporting fellows on a range of topics including governance, democracy, human trafficking, gender-based violence, climate change, pollution, biodiversity and land rights. Funding is…
Death of Domestic Violence Survivor Highlights Systemic Failures
By Joyclyn Wea, senior correspondent, New Narratives Summary: MISSION-THIRD, Montserrado County – Esther’s final words came in weak, gasping breaths. “I won’t make it,” the mother of six whispered, collapsing in the yard as neighbor Ma Fatu tried to hold her upright. Blood streamed from her nose. Moments earlier, according to her five-year-old daughter who witnessed the attack, Esther’s husband…
They Survived Addiction. Now Comes the Hardest Part: Going Home
By Nemenlah Cyrus Harmon with New Narratives Summary: · Liberia’s only government-approved rehab center has graduated more than 100 people, but many returning addicts say the true struggle begins after treatment, as they re-enter communities shaped by fear, stigma and memories of their past. · Relapse remains a constant threat, with graduates describing isolation, lack…
In Liberia, a Rape Justice System That Works Only for Those Who Can Pay
As Liberia marks the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, mothers and survivors are raising alarm over a system they say is extorting victims instead of protecting them. Rape survivors—including infants—are reportedly being denied help unless families pay unofficial fees. Mothers describe carrying bleeding children to hospitals and courts, only to be told to…